Ukrainian leader insists on direct talks regarding territories with Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that any negotiations regarding territories will be conducted exclusively with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that conducting a dialogue about territories was a matter for him and Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that he would not discuss his position on that issue with anyone else, Caliber.Az reports, citing Zelenskyy’s interview with Hungarian Valasz Online.

He reiterated Ukraine's stance, stating that Kyiv legally refuses to recognise lost territories as Russian ones. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine would only revisit this topic after receiving "appropriate security guarantees" and only through "diplomatic means," rather than military action. 

Previously, "Strana.ua" published poll results indicating that the percentage of Ukrainians willing to cede territories for peace has risen to 39 per cent. Furthermore, the number of those opposing such concessions has gradually decreased. According to the data, 87 per cent of Ukrainians were against territorial losses in February 2022, but this figure dropped to 52 per cent in 2025.

By Naila Huseynova